


Frostbite

by sparkjolt (infinisei)



Series: The Hold My Breath 'Verse [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Darcy POV, F/M, Growing Up, Insecurity, Soul Bond, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-26
Updated: 2015-12-26
Packaged: 2018-05-08 21:19:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5513669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/infinisei/pseuds/sparkjolt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darcy Lewis first noticed that something was different about herself during one recess in third grade.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Frostbite

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this wasn't the plan. The plan had been to put this entire work into Eye of the Storm as chapter two, but then I realized how long it was getting and I figured I should separate Darcy's POV and her own story from James's, so here it is. Enjoy!

Darcy Lewis first noticed that something was different about herself during one recess in third grade. Aaron, Brett, and Morgan had been playing an epic game of tag when suddenly Morgan was on the ground, staring at his broken arm in shock, too surprised at the turn of events to cry.

 

As the pain caught up to the boy and tears began rolling down his cheeks, the sound of his wails echoing throughout the playground, Darcy stared at the unnatural twist of his arm. Her arm had been broken a couple months ago, but she hadn’t been awake to experience it—she had only woken up in the hospital afterwards—so it was interesting to see it firsthand.

 

Their teacher Ms. Jones had speedily ushered Morgan to the nurse's office before herding the rest of the class indoors. Then she settled them all down to give the most world-changing lecture of Darcy’s life.

 

“I know that you’re all young and that, on top of that energy, you’re all restless to find your soulmate, but I want you all to be careful whenever you’re playing. I don’t want any more accidents like the one that happened today. Got it?”

 

“Yes, Ms. Jones,” the class replied in unison. A couple of snickers followed at the mention of soulmates but, after some urging from their teacher, they went back to their multiplication tables. Darcy only stared.

 

What did she mean, that she was supposed to be restless because she wanted to find her soulmate?

 

Darcy thought back. Now that she was seriously thinking about it, she realized that her friends had been shifting in their seats a lot before recess, eager to escape to break. As soon as the bell had rung, the sounds of chairs scraping on the floor and the padding of little feet on the linoleum floor had sounded loudly throughout the room as everybody rushed to go outside...everybody except Darcy. Darcy had taken the time to put away her colored pencils before going to her backpack to get her lunch and exiting the room.

 

Darcy preferred watching TV to playing outside. She hated sports, while her friends were on the best soccer team for their age.

 

Later in the day, Morgan’s dad came to the classroom to get Morgan’s backpack. Ms. Jones turned to greet him, and then they both staggered back in shock, their eyes wide and locked on each other.

 

Ms. Jones and Morgan’s dad left in order to seal the soul bond, and the substitute teacher was frantically called to take over the class.

 

“What I wouldn’t give for _my_ soulmate to show up like that,” the substitute muttered while speaking to the principal. Ms. Jones was the youngest teacher at their elementary school, while their substitute teacher—known by many of the students because she was there all the time—was teased by some of the meaner students for looking like a dinosaur.

 

And little Darcy searched and searched for that part inside of her that _yearned_ for her to find her soulmate, only to find nothing. Just blank space.

 

Suddenly, despite the dozens of bodies surrounding her, Darcy found herself feeling as if she was on a single island with only miles and miles of sea surrounding her.

 

******

 

Darcy grew up.

 

She went through her years, having normal school days, birthdays, Christmases. She had sleepovers and gossiped with close friends. She moaned about homework and savored the days she could sleep in until eleven. Normal stuff.

 

She never mentioned being different.

 

Every once in a while, the young girl would catch a statement or an action that would resonate wrongly with her.

 

She felt that a lot all throughout high school. Teenaged Darcy began to watch all of her friends start lingering their gazes on cute boys and looking to go to parties to hang out with the opposite sex instead of having a girls-only movie night. During a sleepover, in the middle of the night, Darcy listened to her friends whispering, admitting that they felt the itch, the _need_ to find something, the hope they would meet their soulmates soon. They would exchange scenarios—fantasies, really—of how they would meet their other halves.

 

It wasn’t as if Darcy didn’t do the same. She wasn’t an idiot; teenagers with a secret that would make a person a social outcast? She’d seen enough movies about teenagers in high school, thank you very much. Besides, who wanted to admit to someone—even if they did save you from being caught with a dirty tampon by her _entire seventh grade class_ —that they were a complete anomaly? Screw that patronizing, “Be yourself, people with accept you no matter what” crap. So, she partied with the best of them, practiced flirting with classmates, and had loud laughs with friends.

 

Her careful facade cracked one day.

 

She had been at the park. While she was eating ice cream, a couple and their son had walked towards the playground. The boy had whined to be allowed to play, but the mom had insisted she put sunscreen on him before he ran off. After she finished, she had ruffled his hair and told him, “Alright, go find your soulmate.”

 

The boy had taken off, heading to the monkey bars and swings.

 

And _boom_ , that was it. Darcy’s feet had pounded on the pavement as she ran home, her eyes blinded by tears.

 

She had been done. So done. Done with waking up everyday, feeling tired at the thought of having to put up the act again. Done with repressing the sick feeling whenever a guy tried to catch her eyes, a perverted smirk on his face. Done with trying to come up with another possibility of how her soulmate could meet her to tell her friends. She had stumbled into her room, thrown herself into her bed, and let the misery consume her.

 

“Darce?” Darcy had heard the creak of her door opening as her mom peered inside. “You okay?”

 

Darcy had ignored her, burying her face into a pillow.

 

She had felt the bed dip as her mom sat on the edge of the bed. “Darcy, what’s wrong?”

 

And then, in a what-the-hell-screw-the-consequences moment, Darcy had blurted out everything. How her drive to find her soulmate was missing, no matter how much she tried, and she was so, so tired of continuing the act.

 

Martha Lewis had listened intently as her daughter talked, taking in the tear-stained face in with sadness. When Darcy had finished, she had leaned towards Darcy and clasped her daughter’s face in her hands.

 

“Darcy Lewis, you are a beautiful, smart young woman. You are your own person, and every person that you have touched knows it. And always remember that this is _your life_ , and you only live it once. So make the most of it by doing what _you_ want to do, what _you_ love.”

 

And then, after her mom had left and a lot of thinking occurred, she quite brilliantly came to an epiphany that generally consisted of the term “fuck you.” Fuck anyone who thought she was weird or a freak for not having the same need to find her soulmate as the general population. She would be happy when she met her soulmate, no matter who he or she was. Until then, she would be perfectly content single. No more being “the quiet one.” No more worrying about what other people thought or if she was too different. No more agreeing with what everyone else said.

 

With her newfound lack of fear of judgement, Darcy made the brilliant decision to join her school’s debate team. And she _loved_ it. There, she could snark and obfuscate and banter all she wanted and she couldn’t get reprimanded for it (well, except for that one time at South High, but it was kind of halfhearted and the asshole had totally deserved it). She especially excelled at arguing pro-choice for platonic soulmate relationships.

 

Because of her talent in debating, her teacher recommended that she pursue a career in civics. So, she went to Culver to get a degree in political science while enjoying college life, but of course she procrastinated taking a class on her least favorite subject, and she desperately needed to do _something_ to get her six college credits in science. It was pure luck on her part that Professor Jane Foster was looking for an intern.

 

Then, of course, shit happened. Some crazy, hot blonde dude fell from the sky, struggling like a drunkard when trying to get up, only to fall flat on his face again after meeting Jane’s eyes and _fucking soulbonding with her_.

 

So, yeah, that happened. Then, more things start falling out of the sky, Jane’s soulmate turned out to be the Norse God of Thunder, and then he disappeared to go and save his world.

 

Jane was heartbroken after weeks with no contact from him. Being a long distance away from your soulmate was both physically and mentally demanding, and considering that Jane was billions of light-years away from her soulmate and somewhat functioning was pretty impressive. But then, one day, Jane had sat upright and said, “Screw this,” and started building an Einstein-Rosen bridge. Honestly, Darcy was awed at Jane’s perseverance and her refusal to give in to the aftereffects of soulstretching. It was a no-brainer for Darcy to spend the rest of her internship as part-supporting friend, part-babysitter.

 

Of course, life changed when aliens invaded and the Avengers were formed. Now that Thor and Tony Stark AKA Iron Man were BFFs, Stark had found out about Jane’s work and, realizing the potential, had groveled and bribed Jane into becoming one of the scientists at Stark Tower, fully funded by Stark Industries to build that bridge to Asgard.

 

And so, with a promise to visit, Darcy resigned as Jane’s intern so that Jane could pay an intern that would actually help with the astrophysics side of things, and Darcy graduated and went searching for a job.

 

Unfortunately, it turned out the world didn’t need a fresh-out-of-undergrad poli-sci major to be paid for labor. No matter where she searched, everyone seemed to be either uninterested in hiring her or just plain didn’t need anybody. She found herself swindling for money and having to take low-paying jobs as a barista. At times, she was seriously tempted to tell her potential bosses during interviews, “Oh, by the way, I know Thor. You know, the Norse God of Thunder?” Which would screw the confidentiality agreement SHIELD had threatened her to sign. But during those times, she really didn't care all that much.

 

However, she didn't really want to be locked up for the rest of her life in an underground bunker, so she kept her mouth shut.

 

Naturally, her whole life changed the next time she was at Stark Tower. Really, she should have expected it.

 

Darcy was half-listening to Jane go on a physics rant while trying to ignore the dewy look Thor was throwing in Jane’s direction—seriously disgusting and adorable—when suddenly the glass overlooking the New York skyline shattered and a bunch of dudes in black tactical gear were tumbling through the newly-opened space. As soon as the goons rolled into a crouch, they raised their weapons to point at Thor.

 

Thor—not in his battlin’ evil armor because it was Saturday and therefore a day that was to be spent with Jane—instantly hauled his soulmate behind him in an effort to shield her from possible gunfire. Darcy, who had been on the opposite side of the table and therefore not easily reachable, immediately tried to inch towards the pair, only to be stopped at the sight of guns pointed at _her_.

 

Darcy, being a rambler in highly stressful situations, blurted, “What the hell, this is the thirty-second floor. Did you guys scale the building Spider-Man style?”

 

The goons naturally ignored her.

 

“What is the meaning of this?” Thor rumbled, a charge filling up the room.

 

“Thor Odinson, on behalf of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, you are under arrest. Please cease and desist. We will be taking you into custody,” a goon that looked to be the leader of the operation spoke.

 

“Hold on a second, on what grounds?” Jane demanded.

 

“This man is under arrest for being an illegal immigrant and for causing destruction of property.”

 

“What the hell are you on? Thor is part of the Avengers’ Initiative and saved the entire world during the Manhattan Invasion.”

 

The dude still didn’t budge. “Mr. Odinson entered the United States without the permission of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, and is therefore an illegal alien who has broken several laws during his time here.”

 

“Okay, pause the bullshit for a minute.” Darcy stepped forward, temporarily forgetting the guns in front of her when faced with such legal stupidity. “What are your plans to do with _Mr. Odinson_ after he has been taken into custody?”

 

“He will be processed and deported back to his home country.”

 

Darcy barked out a laugh. _Oh, were they serious?_ She glanced over at her friends. Jane was pale at the thought of the government separating her soulmate from her and being unable to stop it. Thor was obviously agitated at sensing his lover’s fear, his hands twitching. Darcy knew that Thor probably wanted Mew-Mew in his hands, but was obviously holding back to prevent making a bad situation worse and potentially causing Jane to get hurt.

 

At that thought, a raw anger boiled in her. Jane and Thor deserved to be together and happy and these assholes were threatening to tear them apart. Well, not if Darcy had anything to say about that.

 

Darcy straightened her spine and stared at the goon leader head on. “Thor’s home planet is Asgard, as in a place a bajillion light-years away that is not reachable by anyone except for Heimdall, a god you have absolutely no legal authority over. How in Sweet Lady Frigga’s name were you planning on deporting _an actual alien god_?”

 

There was a slight pause and awkward shifting before the same voice spoke. “That is none of your concern.”

 

“None of my concern? I shouldn’t be concerned about one of my best friends being arrested for coming to New York to save the entire world? I shouldn’t be worried about MIBs saying that they’re returning my best friend to his home when currently there’s no possible way of that happening?”

 

“There is work happening to resolve that issue.”

 

Darcy scoffed at that response. “Okay, one: no one in the US government has any idea how to build an Einstein-Rosen bridge. The scientist closest to figuring that out is Doctor Jane Foster right over there, and even she is around six months to a year away from getting a breakthrough.

 

“Secondly,” she continued, arms waving wildly now that she was on a roll. “Under the Protection under the Convention Against Torture, you cannot kick an illegal immigrant out of the country if you cannot guarantee that the immigrant won’t be tortured or harmed. Given that the dude you want to kick out has as many enemies as Tony Stark after a rave and is considered a person of interest by dozens of countries, there’s another reason why your sudden desire to go cold turkey on hospitality is complete horse shit.” Darcy raised her arms before dropping them briefly, as if to say _boom_. “You bureaucratic asshats would have known that if you had done your fucking research and—”

 

“Miss Lewis, thank you for holding the fort while I was occupied,” a voice interrupted before appearing in the form of Pepper Potts. She was dressed in an elegant pantsuit and her hair was pulled into a neat ponytail. “Gentlemen, if you would please stand down, contact your ICE officer, and join me in the conference room, I’m sure we can come to a resolution to this issue.”

 

“Miss Potts, we are under orders to bring Thor Odinson into custody,” the same leader douchewad that had spoken earlier protested with an uncomfortable edge to his voice. Clearly, they had not been prepared to handle the CEO of Stark Industries.

 

The woman flashed them a cool, professional smile that screamed _keep-on-thinking-you-have-any-control-over-this-situation_. “Yes, well, as Miss Lewis pointed out, there seems to be a lot of misunderstandings about Thor’s current situation regarding residing here on US soil. If you could follow me to a room on the floor below, I’m sure we can help solidify the uncertainty.” She gestured towards the door.

 

And since no one wanted to have the wrath of Iron Man, Pepper Potts, and SI hanging over them, the goon couldn’t really think up of a way to get out of following her without causing a major backlash. So the tac-gear team eventually dispersed while more suits were called in to talk to the SI lawyers representing Thor. Pepper escorted them graciously out of the lab.

 

Now that there was no imminent threat, Jane rushed over to Darcy and strangled her in a hug.

 

“Thank you so much for standing up to those assholes,” she whispered. She pulled away to peer at her former intern. “How did you know all of that stuff, anyway?”

 

Darcy, now that the danger had passed, released a heavy breath and attempted a smirk. “I had a friend in college who was from Argentina and was having trouble with the law. I looked through some stuff to see if I could help her. Looks as if it was even more useful than I originally thought.”

 

Thor clapped her on the back with a warm smile on his face. “Regardless, Lady Darcy, what you have done for me today is something I shall never forget. I am forever in your debt.”

 

Darcy smiled. “It was no big deal, big guy. Besides, I think you’ve saved my ass more than once.”

 

“Nevertheless,” Thor insisted. “You have faced danger valiantly to defend me. That is more than enough for you to be lauded as a warrior in Asgard.”

 

Before Darcy could respond, Jane surveyed the room. “After what just happened, it looks as if there’ll be a delay in getting the results from the data.” Jane sighed. “Oh well, I guess that gives us more time for movie night. Darcy, you’re more than welcome to join us.”

 

Darcy was torn on whether or not to follow the pair. She would really rather not go back to the crappy hellhole she called her apartment, but there was a high chance that the couple would end up doing some bedroom rodeo and, no matter how ripped Thor was, she really didn’t want to catch a glimpse of that.

 

It turned out she didn’t need to decide, as Pepper freakin' Potts suddenly called her and asked if they could talk.

 

The recent college graduate said farewell to her friends and, partly afraid that she was going to get a dressing-down from one of the most powerful women on the planet, partly pumped to be _talking to one of the most powerful women on the planet_ , walked into Pepper’s office and settled into the plush chair offered.

 

“Look, Miss Potts, I’m sorry for overstepping and possible making the legal eagles you assigned to Thor’s case have a harder time helping Thor, but—”

 

“Please, call me Pepper,” the redhead interrupted while sitting down. “And I didn’t want to yell at you for that. On the contrary, actually. Jarvis showed me the footage of what happened. I wanted to tell you how impressed I was at how you handled the ICE, especially considering the situation.”

 

Darcy stared, trying to come to terms with the turn of events. “Darcy is fine, um, Pepper. And...thank you?”

 

“Unfortunately, our head of the SI legal team had been in an accident and had notified us so last minute, we were unable to call for a replacement before you were ambushed and had to struggle getting a team here when we were notified of what had happened.” Pepper’s lips quirked upward. “Because of you, it looks as if Thor won’t become the first alien deported and will instead become the first legal extraterrestrial immigrant of the United States.” She paused. “Which is why I want to offer you a job at Stark Industries.”

 

If Darcy had been floored by with Pepper Potts complimenting her debating skills, she was completely bulldozed over at the job offer. “Wait...what?”

 

Pepper leveled her a steady gaze at the woman sitting across from her. “You recently majored in political science, didn’t you? Obviously, you have great skills in making your case. You also have a strong relationship with Thor and are obviously unmoved by his abilities and origins. You work your hardest to protect those close to you. I believe that you would be beneficial to the Avengers by acting as a liaison between them and sovereign governments.”

 

For the first time in her life, Darcy Lewis found herself completely speechless.

 

Seeming to understand the woman needed some time to process, Pepper continued, “We find it absolutely crucial for the Avengers to maintain a good relationship with both domestic and foreign governments. You would be part of the PR department and would report to the CCO Patricia. Also, you would likely have regular interactions with the Avengers in order for them to have a good idea as to their current image and what they need to do to improve or maintain their reputation.”

 

She paused again to see if Darcy had recovered. She hadn’t. “The decision to take this job is yours, of course. But I can see you have potential and I have confidence that you would make every effort to ensure that the Avengers are still considered to be the heroes of Earth, not assassins or vigilantes or illegal aliens.”

 

At that, Darcy swallowed and said, “Well, when you put it that way, how can a girl resist?”

 

And that was how Darcy became the Government Relations Director for the Avengers. At the end of her talk with Pepper, she dazedly walked out of the Avengers’ Tower with a contract in her hands.

 

It wasn’t until a bottle of red wine and a pint of double chocolate ice cream had been consumed that Darcy had realized the _rightness_ of the offer. Pepper had been right; Darcy strongly believed in what the Avengers stood for and knew they were doing good in the world. Anybody who suggested otherwise or wanted to take them down caused a monster of rage to surface and made her want to claw eyes out. With this job, she could do what her high school debate teacher predicted and channel her skills at arguing and political science towards defending the world by protecting the heroes that worked to save it.

 

To all those who threatened the Avengers, beware. Darcy Lewis was ready to kick some ass.

**Author's Note:**

> Any form of love that you send me would be greatly appreciated! And while you're at it, check out my Tumblr at sparkjolt263. Happy holidays, everyone!


End file.
